Cockrell takes its name from Dr. E.R. Cockrell, president of William Woods from 1924 to 1934, who brought the college successfully through the Great Depression. The original Cockrell Hall, a house on Nichols Street, was enlarged to a dormitory in the early '60's under pressure to accomodate an ever-growing student body.  Finally, a new Cockrell Hall was built in 1965, a boom year for construction on campus. 

Cockrell now houses up to 28 men from the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.